


The Day the World turned the Right Way

by Alfazoing



Series: Haywood [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, OCs - Freeform, Original Character - Freeform, dragon - Freeform, fucked up society moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26836831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alfazoing/pseuds/Alfazoing
Summary: Krow, a brave dragon of the Sandune nation, is set to fix his homeland from the paranoid leader Avrith, who's growing paranoid and self destructive with each day. What will happen to him in his journey to do so?
Series: Haywood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957552
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

A lukewarm wind bustled through the dry, sandy plains, blowing dust into air and sending it flying for a few meters before landing and repeating the entire cycle. The air was dry and hot, so dry with each breath it would sting your nostrils and make you regret ever inhaling. The sun's rays were like deadly lasers, desperate to burn any idiot that even dared to cross out of the shades of the large stone pillars and hills.  
But despite the weather being so god awful, it was a perfectly fine day in the Sandune nation. The ravine the camp was set in seemed almost full with dragons. It was around noon, it seemed. Even though the sun was burning the most at this very moment, the carts full of ores from the old mountain a few kilometers away have just arrived and it was the time to unpack it all.  
The strong transporters heaved to a halt, gasping for air as they detached the gear off of themselves and moved away to beat their pulsing headaches. Instead, their places took merchants like hungry vultures, who fought for a chance to get a bit of the goods, just enough so they could buy themselves food. Followed by the actual citizens of Sandune, who were more or less annoyed by the merchants' greediness.  
Among the transporters was Krow, a large musky orange drake with a strong, bulky build. Broad shoulders that were protected with a yellow, plastic-looking mane that made him look oh so intimidating. A triangular face with sulken eyes that were protected from sunlight by ram-like horns. They twirled around at the tips, making Krow look even more ruthless. He scrambled towards a nearby shadow as if he was burning alive, soon after collapsing onto his chest and just.. laying there on the floor, trying to forget the annoying pain of sunburns that sprayed along his wide back.

"Quit acting, you know it never was your talent, pea brain!" Yapped a voice behind him, the characteristic unnaturally high pitched but scratchy tone were just enough to tell Krow who it was exactly - Elec, the olden merchant. Or as Krow likes to call him - Mr. Hit In The Head.  
With a deep, deep sigh Krow hauled himself up to look over his shoulder and indeed he stood there, brows furrowed like always. The old midget of a dragon was about the quarter of Krow's size, which was simply puny - It's a wonder how he hadn't been trampled over up until now! The gray dragon's goat-like beard grew more and more with each visit he gives Sandune and now it's almost reaching the floor. Krow had known this fellow for ages now, every once in a few months Elec would visit the territory to do the standard merchant things - buy, sell, run away from goons, not die, go into other territory ,repeat. Krow never really even understood how so many dragons just adapted to that lifestyle. You don't have a home, you don't have a place you could call your own. You just.. wander endlessly. It seemed so unreasonable.  
"You don't know how it's like." Krow grumbled, his tone edging with irritation. "I've been walking through the desert all morning, working my ass off, while you were here."

"Being a merchant is harder I bet!" Mr.Hit In The Head retorted, raising his chin almost mockingly.

"Oh really?" Krow returned, raising himself further. Elec was getting on his nerves again, but he knew if he even dared to bother him Avrith would be at his neck. And he sure didn't want extra work. Instead he just towered over the stubborn old man. 

"Yes, really!" Elec looked Krow dead in the eyes as he spoke. "But you are too dumb to understand, hmph!" 

"Elec, I am not having this argument again." Krow huffed out, already pulling himself away from the rascal and beginning to head off.

"You're avoiding me because I am right!" He could hear Elec yelling after him. Krow just rolled his eyes as he continued to walk further and further.

"Yeah, keep talking to that stone wall, will you?" Krow responded, then decided that blocking out whatever he says next is his best bet.  
Krow's muscles felt awfully weak, but not too weak to have him stop. He's gotta find his crew now. And who are they exactly? Well, firstly there's Odit, his best friend. The guy may be a bit cranky and skeptical as hell but it doesn't scathe their friendship much. Then there was Aubrey - a pretty chill guy, though he can be a tad bit boring at times. But hey, everyone has their rights and wrongs. And lastly, there was Stephan, a tall wyvern with the weirdest accent in the world. He was originally a dragon from the neighboring Flamerock clan, another large kingdom of Haywood that surrounds the old active volcano. His origin story explains the weird accent at least. Otherwise he's a pretty smart guy and Krow finds him pretty respectable.  
This little crew had hung by each other's side since - god, since they were just juniors! That's quite a long time. There's been dragons trying to join the little group but after a while they would leave. Reasons for so many failed attempts? To cut the story short, Krow and his friends are pretty.. outspoken about their views of the Sandune nation. Specifically Avrith and his followers. Avrith is the current leader of Sandune and doesn't know what the hell he's doing. Always paranoid at gatherings, paranoid of attacks, paranoid of everything. Sandune has been on a decline just because of him, but everyone is too afraid to speak up. Hell, they don't even know that a rebellion is an option. Which is what Krow hates the most. 

The train of thought Krow was going through was stopped when he felt a light bap on the shoulder. He twisted around to look - it was Odit, easily recognizable with elongated, pale snout and scrawny build. Coated in a dull red with ram-like horns just like Krow.  
"The sun's hit yer brains, eh?" He chuckled in his usual raspy tone, adjusting his wings and pressing them against his sides again. "Or are you looking for someone else?" 

"Uh-huh, definitely almost got lost there, sheesh it's so hot today." Krow mustered out as he fully turned towards his friend, holding his cheek with his right hand. 

"Come on then! Before you get another stroke." Odit spoke, flicking around and heading towards a shade under a large boulder. Now that his vision was directed, he could see them all - his little friend group, all huddled up in that shady part to hide from the commanders weird stares - they guard around the nation and make sure everyone is doing their tasks. And they also don't like the little group of four.  
As Krow thudded towards them, he felt as if someone was watching him. From afar, behind him. His pupils shrunk as he quickly flicked his head around, but he saw no one… yet.

"Man you look terrible!" Aubrey's voice snapped him out of the tiny bit of paranoia, enough to get him to finish his path and find a seat alongside Stephan, a large, white, brooding european dragon with a surprisingly long neck. In comparison, Aubrey was the second smallest out of everyone. Ripe green, basilisk-looking bastard. 

"Being a transporter sure sucks, heh. I wish I could have the same job as you guys." Krow sighed out, raising his palm to give himself a quick rub of the head before straightening himself. "Anyway, what have you been up to?" 

"I sneaked off to the library this morning to do some research. And guess what I found?" Stephan spoke first, the excitement in his voice evidently making others giddy to hear.

"Say it! Say it!" Aubrey and Odit demanded.  
Stephan leaned in further, giving a quick gaze to the surrounding before opening his maw to speak.  
"One of the Elite 5 forgot their documents there. I read through them and it-it's god awful." The white dragon whispered. "Avrith's declined all trade offers we've been getting in the past month. It's his paw print that signed them all and everything!"

"Wait wait wait, hold on." Krow interrupted, dropping his head lower. "What does that mean?"

"That means he's trying to close off the nation from any possible trade deals, and I am pretty sure he's putting up even more defenses on the borders. I've been called on morning patrol two times in the past three days." Stephan explained. "If he continues doing shit like this, there's gonna be a war. Flamerock is already up our necks for provoking two of their patrols."

Krow's eyes widened as his friend spoke, rage building up in his chest. He's heard the old stories, of all the clashes Sandune has gotten itself into before an actually reasonable leader came to the throne. And those days are never coming back again, Krow will make sure of that.  
"What do we do?!"

"Well-"

"I'll tell you what you'll do."  
The sudden interruption of the cold, deep voice caused Stephan to snap into an abrupt, awkward silence, his head frozen in place.  
Selom, one of the many commanders of Sandune, loomed over them, somehow making the shade colder than it should have been. Despite how weak he actually was the mossy green dragon never failed to intimidate the little group. He's been at their heels for ages now, making sure Krow and his friends don't start any rebellions.  
"Krow, Aubrey," the commander began to speak again, his voice cold and monotone as ever. "You two will be going down to the south border to be useful and go hunting. Understand?" 

"But we finished our tasks already! I'm not risking another heat stroke-" Krow began to complain but was cut short by a sudden tug from Selom. He felt light pain as the commander pulled at his mane, but that wasn't as jarring as the fact he was face to face with him now. Krow gulped, suddenly unable to say a word.

"I am your commander, you puny rat. You are going to listen to me because that is your duty. And if you do not comply, things are going to get nasty for all four of you." Selom growled out through bared teeth, only to push Krow away and face Stephan and Odit. "And you, Stephan, seemed to have a grand time at the library. So why not go again and sort all the plates with your birdbrained friend over there?" 

"Yes Selom." Stephan groaned out, clearly annoyed by the order. But unlike Krow, he chose not to protest. The white dragon raised himself up and thudded a few steps before pausing to wait up for Odit. And soon enough, they were both gone.  
Krow after that hauled himself to his legs, letting out an unsatisfied huff before beginning to tread silently towards the outlands, followed by Aubrey.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was ablaze as always, burning onto the dry, cracked ground bellow with merciless beams, yet somehow a few roots managed to survive in this unbearable heat. The desert felt like it was going on and on for ages.   
And Krow and Aubrey had to suffer through it all. The two younger dragons were used to heat, but not of this kind. This was the hottest summer in years, and it was hitting Sandune the worst unsurprisingly. Krow's muscles rippled as he heaved himself forward. He could hear his friend gasping for air behind him.   
"How long until we're there?" Soon after, Aubrey groaned a complaint.

"You've gone there way too many times than me, shouldn't you know?" Krow countered back with a question of his own, his eyes widening at the possibility they might as well be lost.

"Do you think I can think when my brains are, uh, you know, melted?" Aubrey hissed, then grew quiet for a short moment.  
"...sorry, the heat's making me pissy. When you feel the air grow humid that means we're nearing Leafhum." He croaked out, guilt creeping into his voice as his head hung lower.

"It's fine, Aubrey. It really is." Krow huffed out, nodding lightly to his friend. "And alright, that should probably do the trick."  
Krow turned his gaze forwards again, raising the tip of his snout and steadily scenting the air. So far, the only thing that caught his attention was the dull smell of the sand.

"Why'd he send us out here?" Aubrey's meek voice broke out Krow from his search.

"To fuck with us, of course." Krow snorted at his remark. "It's Selom, for Bloodmoon sake. The old guy just hates all of us together so much." 

"I don't think that's it Krow.. What if there's something to it? This isn't the typical bossy Selom. He's been far more aggressive and - he's never given us tasks like this! We've never been sent this far off!" Aubrey protested. "I'm just - I'm worried that he's plotting something. I mean, we are so far away from camp with basically no one around. What if he tries to kill us?!"

"Now you're getting ridiculous Aubrey." Krow sneered, then slowed his pace to let his friend catch up. "Even if he tries something - we can beat him up together! And if this is a trap, then that means he has to travel the same amount we did!"

"He's not landlocked like us two Krow, he can fly over this desert without breaking a sweat." Aubrey corrected, which made Krow radio silent for a short bit.

"Whatever he tries, I am here for you! He can't do anything to the two of us!" Krow broke the silence finally with comforting banter, bumping the smaller dragon's shoulder lightly.

A meek smile crossed Aubrey's exhausted face. "Thanks a bunch."

"Pleasure to be of help." Krow chirped back, skidding to a halt to scent the air again. It was.. a tad bit cooler. And easier to take in. Hell, did the temperature drop too?   
"Plus I think we're almost there, we better hurry before one of us passes out."   
Krow fastened his pace, the little excitement that the discovery brought him was enough to get him into a light canter. He squinted his eyes at something far in the distance close to the horizon. A row of warm greens. This was it. Without saying a word, Krow's little canter began to get faster and faster. The smell of water from the river at the border was enough to send him running. It's a wonder how Aubrey even managed to catch up.  
Krow threw himself through the bracken swiftly, twigs and thorns scraping at his thick skin due to such a reckless maneuver. He almost crashed into multiple trees in his chase for the river, but alas, Krow made it first...and drank like it's the last thing he'd ever be doing. Followed by Aubrey who seemed even more desperate for water, huh.  
Krow then whipped his head up, sprinkling water that caught up on his chin and mane into air. Taking in a deep breath, he then turned to his friend.  
"He said we gotta catch something, right?"

"Mhm." Aubrey nodded simply, hauling himself upwards to his feet again.

"A'ight, let's get started, then? Keep this as short as possible before we have Selom bring us back too." Krow chuckled at his own joke, smiling gleefully at his friend, before turning to go deeper into the woods seemingly by himself.

"Hold on-" Aubrey paused Krow in his spot. "What about the staying together thing you said? You're just gonna leave me by myself?"

"I'm not gonna be that far off.. just scream if you need anything." Krow mumbled, perking his little ears up.

And with a sigh, Aubrey dropped his head. "Fine, same with you alright? Don't want to lose anyone here."

"Cheers mate!" Krow honked out as he began to head off.

"Cheers." Aubrey huffed out back, his voice drowned out by the sounds of rustling leaves.  
Krow pushed his way through the vegetation, though this time at a significantly slower pace. His eyes scanning the area for even the slightest movement, and ears perked for the quietest of sounds. Now that he was far enough his steps slowed into a sneak. And surely enough after some waiting the surroundings responded in the form of a rustling bush. Krow stretched his neck out by a slight bit to spot a doe gracefully picking at the blades of grass.   
Krow dropped lower to be unseen, his underbelly brushing against the ground as he slowly began to creep closer and closer. For a drake his size, Krow was.. awfully quiet. He paused once he was close enough, waited for a short while, before pushing himself upwards with as much force as he could pull up and launched himself at the oblivious creature.  
The doe let out a honk of surprise, unable to run as it was frozen in place. Once Krow landed, they rolled towards the right. The hunted deer was honking and honking, kicking at Krow's sides with its stick-like legs in hopes of getting away but there was no letting go today.  
In the end, Krow toppled over it. By now the doe had realized that this was it and stopped fighting back all together. It was as if it was offering the free kill. But just as Krow was about to land the final blow…

"Help! AH-" 

The cut off scream was what diverted Krow's attention, giving his prey a chance to escape. The doe surprise attacked by kicking Krow one last time under the chin, which quickly threw him off, giving it a chance to desperately scramble into the forest with its one broken leg.  
Despite that kick hurting like a truck, Krow didn't care about the lost catch. That cry for help was the only thing on his mind now. It took him a bit to find the direction of the sound before he began running through bushes again, not saying any words.  
When he finally reached his destination….  
Oh Bloodmoon.  
In a small clearance, there they were - Selom had ambushed Aubrey and was beating him up pretty badly. His friend was right. If only he had stayed… And the worst part is that Krow couldn't move. At all. It was as if his muscles were made of ice itself.he could only watch.


End file.
